Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Budweiser Raises A Cold One To Country Music To Celebrate Fans And Artists Living On Their Own Terms

Budweiser Raises A Cold One To Country Music To Celebrate Fans And Artists Living On Their Own Terms

Brand to Unveil the Budweiser Country Club Fan Experience at Major Country Music Events and Partner with Superstars Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett

NEW YORK, April 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting this spring, Budweiser is significantly expanding its investment in country music, a genre whose fans and artists share the same love for authenticity and storytelling as America's No. 1 full-flavored lager. The proudly domestic beer will be present at some of the year's biggest country music moments to enhance fan experiences and provide surprise moments with top artists that only Budweiser can deliver.

THE BUDWEISER COUNTRY CLUB
The Budweiser Country Club is a brand new, three-level structure that will appear at four live country music events, starting with Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA in late April. Designed with the same level of detail and care that Budweiser puts into brewing its lager, the open-air buildout will provide elevated views of the festival and feature two 20-foot bars, Budweiser Signature Draught towers, outdoor games, and goods for purchase from local craftsmen. The Budweiser Country Club will appear at the following events:

-- Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA (April 29 - May 1)
-- Country 500 in Daytona Beach, FL (May 27 - 29)
-- CMA Music Festival in Nashville, TN (June 9 - 12)
-- Faster Horses in Brooklyn, MI (July 15 - 17)
"The best country music celebrates freedom and the American spirit, which are at the heart of the Budweiser brand," said Ricardo Marques, vice president, Budweiser. "We want country music fans who live life on their own terms to think of Budweiser as the beer for them, and we're excited to reach more of them this year through our stronger presence at events and musician partnerships."

BUDWEISER TEAMS UP WITH FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE AND THOMAS RHETT
America's No. 1 full-flavored lager is also announcing integrated partnerships with two of country music's biggest stars: Florida Georgia Line and Thomas Rhett. Budweiser will be the official sponsor of Multi-Platinum duo Florida Georgia Line's "Dig Your Roots" nationwide tour, and fans attending their concerts will see the brand onstage and featured in pre-show videos at each stop. The brand will also produce an online video content series with the band and sponsor their special album release concert in the coming months, with more details to be announced soon. Florida Georgia Line recently became the only country music act in the history of the RIAA to receive a Diamond Certification for their song "Cruise."

"We're thrilled to bring Budweiser into the FGL family, as we love their devotion to country music," said band member Brian Kelley. His bandmate Tyler Hubbard continued, "Budweiser is such an iconic American brand and we're thrilled to be partnering with them in helping us bring our music to the fans nationwide."

Budweiser is also joining forces with Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Thomas Rhett to offer a behind-the-scenes look into his tour and creative process through an upcoming online video content series.

"We're always looking for a way to do something cool and new with our fans," said Thomas Rhett. "I already know we're going to have a good time this summer out on the road, but teaming up with Budweiser is going to make the experience that much better. It's going to be something all our fans can get into on the road, but also at home when they can't make it out to a show."

Both acts will visit the Budweiser Country Club to meet fans for beers between performances at CMA Music Festival in Nashville. Fans should follow Budweiser on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for exclusive content featuring these artists and details on upcoming surprise performances and appearances.

About Budweiser
Budweiser, an American-style lager, was introduced in 1876 when company founder Adolphus Busch set out to create the United States' first truly national beer brand - brewed to be universally popular and transcend regional tastes. Each batch of Budweiser stays true to the same family recipe used by five generations of Busch family brewmasters. Budweiser is a medium-bodied, flavorful, crisp and pure beer with blended layers of premium American and European hop aromas, brewed for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment. Budweiser is made using time-honored methods including "kraeusening" for natural carbonation and Beechwood aging, which results in unparalleled balance and character.

About Anheuser-Busch
For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch and its world-class brewmasters have carried on a legacy of brewing America's most-popular beers. Starting with the finest ingredients sourced from Anheuser-Busch's family of growers, every batch is crafted using the same exacting standards and time-honored traditions passed down through generations of proud Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and employees. Best known for its fine American-style lagers, Budweiser and Bud Light, the company's beers lead numerous beer segments. Budweiser and Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita were named Brands of the Year for the Beer and the Spirits, Malt Beverages and Wine categories, respectively, by Ace Metrix® in 2014. Anheuser-Busch is the U.S. arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev and operates 17 local breweries, 21 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities across the United States. The company committed to investing more than $1.5 billion in its U.S. brewing, agriculture, packaging and distributing operations by 2018. Its flagship brewery remains in St. Louis, Mo., and is among the global company's largest and most technologically-capable breweries. Visitor and special beermaster tours are available at its St. Louis and five other Anheuser-Busch breweries. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

About Florida Georgia Line
Fueled with four scorching consecutive #1 hits - GOLD-certified "Anything Goes," "Sippin' On Fire" and "Sun Daze" and 2X PLATINUM-certified "Dirt" - Florida Georgia Line's "Confession," the final single from their PLATINUM selling sophomore album ANYTHING GOES (Republic Nashville), has reached the top 5. With the project's #1 debut on the all-genre Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Country Albums charts, music critics and fans alike have embraced the superstar duo's fresh sound. The group recently made history by becoming RIAA's first ever country act to score a Diamond certification for their hit single, "Cruise." FGL scored two fan-voted AMA wins for Favorite Country Album and Favorite Country Duo or Group as well as picking up their third straight win for CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year. They were recently honored for the third time during the acclaimed CMT Artists of the Year special. The 2016 ACM Awards saw the group take home their third consecutive honor for Vocal Duo of the Year, where they also performed. In addition to racking up a plethora industry awards, FGL has collaborated across genres with sensations like Nelly and Jason Derulo. Following an epic 2014 topping four of Billboard's year-end charts and leading Forbes "30 Under 30" list, the accolades continue to pour in: FGL brought home two ACM Awards - their second consecutive Vocal Duo of the Year title and Vocal Event of the Year ("This Is How We Roll" featuring Luke Bryan)- a CMT Music Award for Duo Video of the Year ("Dirt") and Billboard Music Awards Top Country Artist. FGL has skyrocketed to stardom becoming the only artist in history to join Brooks & Dunn in achieving four back-to-back, multi-week #1 singles; breaking the record for longest #1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and selling over 24 million tracks worldwide off their 2X PLATINUM debut HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES and GOLD-certified ANYTHING GOES. Their highly anticipated third studio album is slated for release in 2016. Taking their undeniable songwriting skills to the next level and discovering new talent, FGL recently formed publishing company Tree Vibez Music, whose moniker was aptly inspired by Kelley's custom treetop recording studio built by Pete Nelson for the hit show Treehouse Masters. Beginning in March 2016, the talented pair will hit the road headlining their highly anticipated DIG YOUR ROOTS TOUR. The group will be joined by country stars Cole Swindell, The Cadillac Three, and Kane Brown. For more on FGL, visit www.FloridaGeorgiaLine.com.

About Thomas Rhett
Thomas Rhett's latest milestone contributes to his long list of accolades including his recent ACM "Song of the Year" award for the 2x Platinum No. One "Die A Happy Man" off of his sophomore album TANGLED UP (The Valory Music Co.). "One of country's perennial 'next big things'" (Noisey) recently delivered his new single "T-Shirt," which continues to escalate into the Top 20 and follows TANGLED UP's back-to-back PLATINUM chart-toppers, marking five consecutive No. ones. While pushing "the genre into exciting new territory" (New York Times) the multi-PLATINUM singer/songwriter will perform headlining sold-out shows throughout the country and continue as direct support for Jason Aldean's SIX STRING CIRCUS TOUR. For more information and for a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit www.thomasrhett.com.